A Short Ride Home
by Caroline Masters
Summary: Trampas and Elizabeth face a difficult journey in this story set in series five.
1. Chapter 1

**A Short Ride Home**

by Caroline Masters, September 2011

_Trampas and Elizabeth face a difficult journey in this story set in series five._

Chapter 1

"Libby, are you sure you won't come with me to Denver? There are lots of dress shops you could visit."

Elizabeth shook her head. "No, Grandad, as much as I'd like to, I promised Hannah I'd be home in time for her birthday party. I'll go back with Trampas on the stage."

"Well, that must be the first time you've rejected an invitation to go shopping!" he said smiling.

Elizabeth smiled back. "I know. I'm breaking the habit of a lifetime. But at least your wallet is safe!"

"Don't you worry, Mr Grainger," said Trampas, as he handed their bags to Sam, the stage driver. "I'll take good care of her. We'll be in Medicine Bow before nightfall. It's just a short ride home."

* * *

><p>Trampas and Elizabeth's traveling companions were a smart-looking couple from the East. Elizabeth marveled at the wife's elegant scarlet dress and matching hat and immediately struck up a conversation with her. She discovered that the husband – Mr Heath – had made some successful investments on the stock market and they had come West to buy a ranch with the proceeds. Although Mrs Heath was glad to pass the time talking to Elizabeth, her husband maintained a cordial but distant silence, so after the initial introductions Trampas shut his eyes, pulled down his hat, and went to sleep.<p>

As the journey progressed, the road took them over rougher and rougher terrain. Woken by one particularly bad jolt, Trampas looked out of the window and was shocked to see they were passing below some towering sandstone cliffs.

Immediately he shouted up to the driver: "Hey, Sam! What's going on? This isn't the road to Medicine Bow!"

Sam either didn't hear him or didn't want to reply.

"Where are we then, Trampas?" asked Elizabeth.

"We're going through Dead Man's Canyon!"

"Ah," said Mr Heath. "It's nothing to worry about. We're taking a slight detour, that's all."

"What do you mean 'a slight detour'?" asked Trampas.

"I asked the driver if he would take my wife and me directly to our new ranch. It's only a little way off the stage route and he very kindly agreed to help us."

"You arrogant, selfish…" Trampas stopped himself in time, remembering Elizabeth's presence. "You just took it upon yourself to change the route – without even telling your fellow passengers! How much did you pay him?"

"I'm afraid any agreement that was reached between the driver and myself is strictly confidential and no business of yours."

"It is our business. You've taken us off the main route and through the meanest stretch of land in the whole territory. Not only that, we now won't reach Medicine Bow until after dark. You had no right to do that."

"Stacey will be waiting for us. He'll be worried when we don't arrive on time," Elizabeth said with concern.

"Oh, these stage coaches rarely keep to the official timetable, even I, coming from New York, know that. No one will worry about a delay of an hour or so."

Trampas was about to give him a further piece of his mind when he caught sight of the anxious look on Elizabeth's face and reined in the words. It was too late for argument, the damage had already been done. He could only frown and look out anxiously at the dark clouds starting to collect in the distance.

Ten minutes later, streaks of lightning lit up the sky and a torrential downpour flooded down onto the stage coach, bringing a landslide of rocks with it. Sam and his co-driver were knocked to the ground and then the whole stage coach toppled over onto its side.

Fortunately, Trampas and Mr Heath had been sitting on the side that hit the ground and took the full force of the impact, thereby protecting Elizabeth and Mrs Heath from more serious injury. Trampas hit his head and was initially stunned, but he soon regained control and managed to push both Elizabeth and Mrs Heath up through the door of the stage, before clambering out himself and helping to pull Mr Heath from the wreckage.

The rain started to ease off as quickly as it had begun but the ground had already been transformed from a dustbowl into a muddy lake. After checking that Elizabeth and Mrs Heath had suffered no serious injury, Trampas walked over to the co-driver, who was lying on the ground, motionless, staring upwards to the dark sky with a bewildered look. Trampas sighed and closed the dead man's eyes.

Then he turned to the driver, who was breathing heavily.

"Sam, how are you? Where does it hurt?"

"In my chest, Trampas," the old man whispered, with difficulty. "I'm sorry."

"Hey, you can't be blamed for bad weather. Take it easy, now."

"It's my fault we came this way. If we'd stayed on the main road, we'd be safe now. But the money he offered was going to pay for a trip back East to see my daughter and grandchildren. I so wanted to see them again, after all these years."

"It's all right, Sam. You'll be seeing Mary-Lou in no time at all. Don't you worry."

"Yeah," Sam said, then shut his own eyes so that Trampas didn't have to.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

"Well, as I see it," announced Mr Heath, "As we've lost the horses, our only option is to walk the shortest route to Medicine Bow."

"That's where you're wrong," said Trampas angrily. "The shortest route is that way," and he pointed out eastwards across the flat expanse of desert, where all they could see were rocks and sand and cacti. "We won't last a day, if we go in that direction." Trampas shook his head. "No, we'll have to go the long way, around the bottom of these cliffs and then up the mountains. It'll be tough but once we reach the mountains, we'll find food, water and shelter, even if we also run into the odd wolf or mountain lion."

Mrs Heath shivered at the mention of the wild animals.

"No, I disagree," said her husband. "We've got enough water to keep us going. It's the quickest route. And when we get nearer to Medicine Bow we might even meet a search party coming out looking for us."

"In case you've forgotten, we're not on the road to Medicine Bow. No one will be looking for us here."

"Well, let's take a vote on it. I vote we take the shortest route, and I'm sure my wife agrees, don't you Lydia?"

"Yes, of course, Joshua."

"Well, Miss Grainger?"

"I agree with Trampas. We can't walk across a desert."

"Well, if that's your attitude, we'll have to split up, and Lydia and I will bid you farewell."

"But surely it would be safer if we all stay together," said Elizabeth.

"We've made our decision. If you two are frightened of being on your own, you're welcome to come with us," Mr Heath said.

Trampas took a step towards him. "You are the stupidest and most selfish man I've ever met. And believe me, I've met a few knuckleheads in my time but never one so bent on his own destruction. There's no way I'd risk Liz's safety by taking that route. You two are on your own!"

"Mrs Heath, please change your mind and come with us," pleaded Elizabeth. "Trampas has lived in this country for years. He knows its dangers. Please, the only way we're going to get through this is if we go over the mountains."

For a moment Mrs Heath hesitated and looked at her husband, but she saw the determination in his eyes, and shook her head. "I'm sorry. I'm going with my husband."

* * *

><p>The track up the mountain gradually rose steeper and steeper, giving a wide view across the barren wasteland below. Occasionally, when Trampas and Elizabeth stopped for a rest, they would look down to see the specks that were the Heaths moving slowly across the desert. Although it was late afternoon and the sun had lost much of its heat, the couple seemed to be making slower progress than before. They were already tiring. Trampas shook his head. "Don't look back, Liz. They made their decision. Concentrate on the way ahead. We'll need all our strength for that."<p>

"We should have made them come with us."

"How? By forcing them at gunpoint?"

"At least, they would have had a chance."

Trampas didn't want to argue with Elizabeth but the injury to his head was making him feel irritable.

"Liz, they're grown people. Old enough to make their own decisions and take the consequences of their actions. Anyway, it's their fault we're in this mess. If Heath hadn't bribed Sam, we'd be almost in Medicine Bow by now."

"I guess you're right, but I can't help thinking about what's going to happen to them, out there in the desert."

Trampas looked at her in frustration. He was about to remind her that Sam and his co-driver were dead because of Mr Heath's selfishness but the look of concern on Liz's face stopped him. Instead he put his arm round her. "I know. But, worrying won't help them any, will it?"

* * *

><p>As they climbed higher up the mountain, the path got progressively narrower until they could no longer walk side by side. Trampas led the way and Elizabeth did her best to keep up but, with the sun starting to slip below the horizon, her pace slowed considerably. It had been a long day. Nevertheless Trampas was determined that they should go that little bit further before they stopped for the night. He was just rounding the next bend when Elizabeth heard the unmistakeable rattle of a snake. Instinctively she stepped backwards away from the sound but, in her panic, she forgot how close she was to the edge of the path. Her scream brought Trampas rushing back, just in time to see her sliding down the steep slope. Her fall was initially broken by a narrow ledge but Trampas could see that the support was only temporary.<p>

He knelt on the ground and leaned down towards her.

"Liz, grab my arm. I'll pull you up."

Elizabeth tried to reach him but the distance was too great.

"Come on, Liz, just a bit further."

She stretched out her arm again but was too afraid of slipping off the narrow ledge to reach too far. She shook her head. "I can't do it, Trampas. It's too far."

"Hey, come on Liz, try again. You've always been a fighter, never a quitter. I saw that the first time we met when you greeted me with that loaded shotgun, thinking I was coming to attack the ranch! Now try again."

"I can't, Trampas. I can't. I'm frightened I'll fall."

"Liz, you won't fall. I promise you. You weren't frightened when you singlehandedly broke a wild stallion, were you? So why should you be frightened now? You're not alone here, Liz. I'm with you. Just give me your hand and I'll pull you out of there. Give me your hand."

With that, he leant as far as he could over the edge and thrust both of his arms down towards her.

"Now, reach up towards me, as far as you can."

Elizabeth stared up at him, and looked into his eyes that were usually filled with laughter but now they revealed a serious determination that she had never seen before.

"Now, Liz, now," Trampas ordered.

Still not quite believing he could reach her, she tentatively stretched up her right arm. As she did so, her left foot slipped off the ledge and for one terrible moment she began to slide further down the slope. She stared up at Trampas in desperation and saw her own fear reflected in his eyes. But then she felt his strong arms grab hold of her and, instead of falling further, she was pulled up to safety. Although her body scraped the side of the mountain, cutting her skin so that it bled, she initially felt no pain only the warmth of Trampas's hands. When she reached the top, she cried uncontrollably with relief and Trampas held her so tightly that she thought he would never let her go.

"You see, Liz. I told you it would be all right."


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

The non-arrival of the stage coach in Medicine Bow had, as Elizabeth feared, led to great concern from all those waiting to meet the passengers. Emmet Ryker, Stacey and the Virginian immediately set out to search for the missing stage but darkness fell before they were able to pick up any tracks, and they were forced to make camp for the night.

Trampas and Elizabeth made what shelter they could under the fir trees. Warmed by the fire Trampas had lit, and exhausted by the climb up the mountain, Elizabeth soon fell asleep. Trampas, however, enjoyed no such relief. The gnawing pain in his head prevented him from getting any rest. Instead, worried that they might be visited by a hungry mountain lion or wolf, he kept his hand firmly gripped on his gun throughout that long, dark night.

At first light, the searchers broke camp and continued retracing the stage coach's route. It wasn't until they arrived at Jacob's Crossing that they discovered the reason they had been having such difficulty in finding any tracks. There the Virginian saw clearly how the stage coach had taken the route towards Dead Man's Canyon.

"But why did they go that way?" asked Ryker.

"When we find them, we can ask them," said the Virginian drily and jumped onto Joe D to follow Stacey who was already riding into the Canyon.

* * *

><p>"Well," said Ryker slowly. "At least we know someone survived."<p>

The three of them were standing by the wrecked stage coach looking at the two recently dug graves.

Stacey, who had said nothing since they had left Jacob's Crossing, suddenly knelt down and thrust his hands onto one of the graves, digging his fingers into the crumbling soil.

"No, Stacey, don't," said the Virginian, as he pulled him away from the grave.

"I need to know. I need to know who it is. It could be Liz." He turned to face the Virginian. "It could be Trampas."

"We'll find out. In a little while." He put his arm around his young friend's shoulder. "But that isn't the way."

Ryker had moved ahead and was studying the ground. "There are two sets of tracks. One goes this way around the cliffs. The other towards the desert."

At that, all three looked out across the vast expanse of sand, desperately searching for any sign of the passengers who had chosen such a dangerous route.

"What's that?" suddenly asked Stacey. "There's something out there – something in red."

Fearful of what they might find, the men galloped their horses across the barren wasteland.

Mrs Heath was beyond their help but her husband, hearing their arrival, begged for water, and Ryker helped him to drink a little from his canteen.

"I told them we'd make it. I told them," he whispered hoarsely.

"Where are the others?" asked Ryker. "What happened to them?"

"They went across the mountains. They wouldn't come with us. They said it was too dangerous." He gave a strange laugh. "They were afraid. But I was right."

"Who?" demanded Stacey. "Who went across the mountains?"

Mr Heath stared up at him but didn't seem to understand. He had heard the voice but couldn't see the questioner. He could only see the sun, which had burned into his body and his soul during that long walk across the desert. And then there was only darkness.

* * *

><p>Late in the afternoon, Trampas and Elizabeth had stopped for a rest beside a stream. Elizabeth had just washed her face and hands, trying to get rid of the dust and the dirt that had accumulated during the day's walk, when she suddenly saw Trampas standing in front of her, with his gun aimed straight at her.<p>

"Trampas, what is it?"

"Stay right there. Don't move."

As she stood there, not understanding the fierceness in his voice, she noticed that the cut on his head had opened up and fresh blood was dripping from the wound.

"Trampas, are you all right? What's wrong?"

When he didn't immediately answer, Elizabeth was frightened. He was looking right at her but it was as if he couldn't see her. She didn't know what to do – except to move slowly towards him.

"I said stay still!" he shouted angrily.

"Trampas! Don't!" she cried but the sound of the gunshot silenced her and she fell to the ground.

* * *

><p>"Up here! This way," the Virginian shouted, and the three men rushed towards the sound of the shot.<p>

They found Trampas cradling Elizabeth in his arms. There was blood on her face.

"Liz!" cried Stacey. "Liz!"

At the sound of her brother's voice, Elizabeth opened her eyes. She looked hesitantly at Trampas, but then caught sight of the dead mountain lion lying just behind him.

"Trampas, I didn't realize…"

Trampas shook his head. "I told you to keep still. Why don't females ever do what they're told?"

The three men laughed.

"Now, Trampas," said the Virginian, "It may be a long way back to Shiloh but you know we really haven't enough time to answer that question!"

Trampas smiled. "I guess you're right. After all, I told Mr Grainger, it's just a short ride home."


End file.
